AFRICA-EUROPE FAITH AND JUSTICE NETWORK
RESEAU FOI ET JUSTICE AFRIQUE-EUROPE

174, rue Joseph II
B-1000 Bruxelles - Belgique
Tel. 32-2 234 6810 Fax 32-2 231 1413
aefjn@aefjn.org http://www.aefjn.org

AEFJN is a network of 41 catholic religious and missionary Institutes with members in Africa and Europe, promotes equitable economic relations between Africa and Europe, providing information and analysis on economical policies that affect Africa adversely and seeks to influence positively the policies of national governments and the European Union Institutions.

Present: Cor van den Brand (NL), Christine von Garnier (CH), Claude Maillard (CH), Annie Girard (F), Christophe Boyer (F), Francesca Sekli (It), Maria Teresa Devoto (It), Denise Calder (GB), Breda Madigan (GB), Rita Kelly (Irl), Claire Murphy (Irl), Wolfgang Schonecke (D), Margret Toval (D), Begona Eskisabel (B), Philippe de Dorlodot (B), Augustine Arteche (E), Marisa Parrellè (E), Benito Undurraga (Rome), Luc Coppejans (Bxl), Maru Bastarreche (B), Juliette Binyungu (Bxl).

Venue: The meeting took place at the Ecumenical Centre, rue Joseph II, while the Sacred Heart Sisters kindly offered us accomodation at the rue the l'Abondance in Brussels.

1. Sharing and updating

Friday afternoon was used to share about the actions undertaken by the antennae over the summer. It was an active summer with antennae having taken part in actions on 9 different issues. There was a good participation on the Cancun letter action, with antennaes having taken time to reword the proposed letter to reflect better local sensitivities and expectations.
Action: We retain the idea that in the future we must learn how to respond to letters answered by politicians as a further step in lobbying.
The Brussels' staff gave some updates following the Cancun WTO meeting, the ACP-EU negotiations, the GATS-water project and the TRIPS-medicines issue.
The failiure of Cancun leaves the WTO mandate uncertain and may mean that the EU (and USA) would put even more importance on regional and bilateral agreements in trade. Hence the growing importance of the ACP-EU negotiations that want to push Regional Economic Partnerships (EPA) with Africa. West Africa (ECOWAS) started on October 5th the second round of negotiations for such an EPA with the EU. Central in both the WTO negotiations and the EPA negotiations stands the issue of agricultural agreements.
On our action against privatisation of domestic water and sanitation services in Africa, we noted the acceptance of the parliamentary resolution at the European Parliament in September (with only 10 votes against), calling for the Commission to support more public water and sanitation services. In the coming months AEFJN will monitor the reaction of the Commission to this "Water" resolution. On the issue of access to medicines, we must monitor how the WTO and EU will translate the August agreement on access to essential medicines into an amendement to the GATS agreement at the WTO.

2. Inputs and witnesses

Fr. Ignace Berten, op gave an input on the European Constitution, reflecting how the enlargement of the EU will affect EU policy towards Africa and how civil society and faith-groups will have a recognized voice in the political consultation process of the EU.
Mr. Holger Anders (IANSA) presented the new worldwide campaign for an UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), to be launched on 9th October, and to which he invited AEFJN to take part in both African and European platforms.
Fr. Maurice Oudet (Burkina Faso) shared his experience of the cotton campaign and how negotiations on agricultural agreements in the EU (Common Agricultural Policy), at the WTO (Agruculture Agreement) and in the USA (AGOA), impact small farmers communities in Africa, who are fast loosing the right to protect their local agricultural markets.

3. Action Plan 2004

The following issues emerged as important for the national antennae of the network: Small arms (8), Agriculture and ACP-EU negotiations (8), Water (6), European Elections (5), debt of African countries (4).
Following a long discussion the group agrees to the following common action plan for 2004 and proposes that the member congregations ask their members in Africa during 2004 to join in common action on the following issues:

A. Small Arms:
AEFJN joins the campaign organized by Amnesty-Oxfam-IANSA in view of a UN Arms Trade Treaty. The objective for 2004 is to convince national and EU governments to accept the need for such a treaty. The campaign is worldwide and organised on the basis of continental platforms. Continental platforms coordinate the different national platforms.
* Antennae and members in Africa are invited to contact national coalitions and join in national campaigns. Brussels will focus on the coalition of NGOs at the EU institutions.
* Brussels will attend the European coordination meeting in Dublin in December and coordinate animation and information for the antennae and congregations contact persons.

b. Water and sanitation services and Trans National Companies:
One aspect of last years' campaign was not successful: lobbying TNCs for ethical contracts in Private Public Partnerships, because lack of specific information on contracts in Africa. The antennae ask the collaboration of the Congregations Contact Persons, to invite their members in Africa to find out specific information on existing contracts in African townships or areas. Based on this information antennae agree, in collaboration with groups in Africa, to contact European companies involved and to ask for ethical contracts based on facts.
* Till November 30: Composing a questionnaire to gather information on contracts in Africa. Till November 15th, Antennae will gather questions that could be asked to compile information needed about water service contracts (price structure, participation of community, board members,...). For this we contact national NGOs (eg Swiss development cooperation report). Brussels will compile the questionnaire.
* Contact Persons Rome: During the GA in Rome on 4th November, Brussels will propose the action to the contact persons seeking their collaboration to find members in Africa who would commit to do the survey on existing contracts so as to join together in lobbying TNCs for ethical water contracts.

C. European Elections:
In June 2004 all member states will hold elections for the European Parliament and formation of a new European Commission, mandated for 4 years. All antennae will take part in lobbying their political parties and MEP candidates.
* Brussels will coordinate an action preparing the elections
* Brussels will consult with NGO platforms on the EU scene in view of formulating specific questions and points to be raised.
* By the end of February - beginning March Brussels proposes action to the antennae and member congregations.

D. Follow-up issues:
1. Agriculture and ACP-EU negotiations
There is consensus among the antennae that as network we should do something on the issue of agriculture. Because of the complexity of the issue and the different fora (EU, WTO, ACP, EPAs, USA) where agreements are being negotiated, we feel not yet ready to select a common action. Therefore we agree:
* That antennae will gather information and experience on national level concerning campaigns that are ongoing or coming up in their countries on food sovereignty, dumping and/or the right of countries to protect their agriculture
* That Brussels will continue to study and follow up Agric-EU-ACP.
* That the next antennae meeting will have as only point of reflection the issue of Agriculture and ACP-EU negotiations, so as to allow us to make a more informed decision.

2. GATS-water and TRIPS-medicines
Brussels will follow up both the water and medicines access issues based on respectively the water resolution of the European Parliament and the August WTO agreement on access to medicines. If need be the office can call upon antennae and members for action.

3. Debt
There is not yet a consensus for a common action concerning the debt issue among European NGO community. It is and remains an important root-cause of poverty and injustice. Brussels will monitor developments and several antennae will join national coalitions to work one or the other aspects of the debt problem.

4. Other matters arising

- Antennae in Africa
Fr. Undurraga (Executive Rome), informs us of the project of the executive to mobilize a number of congregational JPIC coordinators to promote actively among their members AEFJN antennae in Africa. Our proposed water-TNC action can be a practical project to gather momentum.
- Staff Brussels
Our colleague, Marnie Lucas delivered a healthy baby-girl! During the 4 months maternity leave, Mr. Tarcitius Zimbiti (Zimbabwe JPIC commission) will join the Brussels' team for an exposure programme, focussing on the Small Arms campaign.
- Info Flash
Is appreciated and we decide to continue the publication.
- Website
Antennae are reminded that there is a (limited) space for all antennae on our website www.aefjn.org for documents of interest for each country, translations of AEFJN documents or reports of antennae activities.
- NEXT MEETING
in Brussels from Friday 23rd April till Sunday 25th April 2004
Agenda: Study of the ACP-EU negotiations, with a special focus on Agricultural negotiations

Luc Coppejans, MAfr
AEFJN, Bruxelles, July 2003.